Stories about "Commencement"
J. Drew Lanham to deliver 2023 Bates College Commencement address joined by fellow honorands Michael Lewis, Julieanna Richardson, and Shankar Vedantam

Friday, April 14, 2023 8:00 am

Author The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, Lanham is a MacArthur Fellowship–winning ecologist, ornithologist, and inclusive wilderness advocate.

Picture story: A graduation celebration for the Bates Class of 2020

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 1:53 pm

After a 812-day wait, the Class of 2020 got its in-person graduation celebration — their moment to cross the Coram Library porch and bask in the college’s full congratulations “in three dimensions,” as President Spencer said in her welcome.

Class of 2022 celebrates Baccalaureate on the Historic Quad with Baccalaureate address delivered by Josh Rubin, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of Anthropology.Saturday May 28, 202211:00 a.m., The Historic QuadBaccalaureate is a gathering of graduating seniors and their families and friends to celebrate this milestone in their lives and give thanks for the help they received along the way. It is a joyous celebration planned by students that features poetry, story-telling, a cappella, a student band, dance, parent reflections and an address by a faculty or staff person chosen by the graduating class.Baccalaureate is held on the Historic Quad (rain or shine) and seniors process into the service wearing caps and gowns. All friends and family are welcome to attend and seating is first-come, first-served. The procession begins at 10:50, with a musical prelude before.We invite parents and families to contribute to the festivities in two ways:Parents & Families Reflection and Blessing Cards
Picture story: Baccalaureate for the Bates Class of 2022

Friday, June 3, 2022 2:27 pm

Held the day before Commencement, Baccalaureate offers a time to pause and reflect, to remember and rejoice, being fully present to those around us.

Picture story: It was the Friday before Commencement…

Friday, June 3, 2022 2:24 pm

Photographs of honors, inductions, traditions, and bravos on the Friday before Commencement 2022 at Bates College illustrate the sweet intensity of it all.

Video: Highlights from Commencement 2022 and the march of the seniors

Friday, June 3, 2022 11:29 am

From last-minute fit adjustments, to photos with staff and faculty on Alumni Walk and the joyous cap-toss, highlights from the Class of 2022's big day.

Video: Dr. Nirav Shah’s 2022 Commencement Address

Friday, June 3, 2022 11:19 am

Text and video of the witty, warm, and insightful 2022 Commencement Address by Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control.

Slideshow: Hour by hour with the Bates Class of 2022 on Commencement day

Friday, June 3, 2022 10:00 am

From just after 7 a.m. to just after noontime, follow along as Bates gave the Class of 2022 a long, last embrace.

Commencement exercises were held on Historic Quad for 498 members of the Class of 2022 on May 29, 2022.Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control received an honorary degree and was the featured speaker of the 156th. Commencement.Shah was one of four honorary degree recipients, the others being:Michael Bonney ’80, a nationally recognized biotech CEO whose extensive philanthropy has funded the Bonney Science Center, new professorships, and innovations in STEM education at Bates.Nikki Giovanni, a widely acclaimed poet, teacher, and voice of the Black experience for more than 50 years.The Rev. Becca Stevens, an author and social entrepreneur whose Thistle Farms organization supports those who have experienced trafficking, prostitution, and addiction.
Slideshow: Bates Class of 2022 caps off graduation with creative mortarboard art

Thursday, June 2, 2022 11:37 am

With a nod to the past and a look to the future, the Class of 2022 marched through Commencement in style — with a few personal touches.

‘Be someone who builds trust,’ Dr. Nirav Shah tells seniors at 156th Bates College Commencement

Sunday, May 29, 2022 2:09 pm

“We treat those with different beliefs not just as incorrect, but as ignorant," said Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and a luminary in the state’s COVID-19 response. "Don't do that," he told the seniors. Instead, "be someone who builds trust."

Commencement 2022 honorary degree citations

Sunday, May 29, 2022 12:54 pm

Honorary degree citations for Michael W. Bonney '80, Nikki Giovanni, Becca Stevens, and Dr. Nirav Shah, presented at Bates Commencement on May 22, 2022.

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